The 2024 OHL Entry Draft had a definite northern flavour to it for the Sudbury Wolves - even if it was somewhat camouflaged.

While five of the 15 selections the local juniors made have roots in either Sudbury or Sault Ste Marie, including first round pick Luca Blonda, both the latter and 5th round choice Mateo Beites did not play their draft eligible season in the north.

A native of Sault Ste Marie who was first noticed in these parts as a member of the Terry Chitaroni coached Jr Greyhounds team that would match up against Jason Young and the Nickel City Sons dating back to 2019 (Atom "AA"), Blonda suited up with the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 15's this past winter along with fellow Saultite Nik Rossetto.

The 5'10" blueliner is an exceptional skater who earned all-star accolades while playing for the Northern Alliance (coached by Trevor Blanchard) at the Draftday Hockey 2008 Prospects Tournament in Toronto in 2022, the team taking the tournament title.

Goaltender Mateo Beites played for the Sudbury U16 AAA Wolves as an underager in 2022-2023 before signing on with the top-ranked Barrie U16 AAA Colts this past year.

A long-time SMHA (Sudbury Minor Hockey Association) product, Beites was chosen to represent Canada at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games in South Korea this past January.

Others with ties to the north included defenceman Cole Wreggitt from Sault Ste Marie (4th rd - 74th overall), who played with the Soo U18 AAA Jr Greyhounds this year, Sudbury U16 AAA Wolves forward Mason Walker (younger brother of Sudbury Cubs' veteran forward Cameron Walker) and forward Danny MacDonald, a teammate of Wreggitt's in the GNML.

The remaining Wolves picks were as follows:

2nd round - Ethan Dean - C - London Jr Knights
3rd round - Henry Doucet - LW - Ottawa Myers Automotive
6th round - Brady Smith - LD - Oshawa Minor Generals
7th round - Greg Najda - LW - Oakville Rangers
7th round - Owen McGuckin - RW - Mississauga Rebels
8th round - Finn Kearns - LD - York-Simcoe Express
10th round - Tucker Roberts - RW - York-Simcoe Express
12th round - Bodhi Ryan - C - Toronto Jr Canadiens
13th round - Seth Vreugdenhil - RD - Halton Hurricanes
14th round - Nathan McKee - RD - Barrie Jr Colts